Kingdom of Ash - Throne of Glass #7 - Sarah J. Maas
Sum up: (Goodreads)
Aelin has risked everything to save her people―but at a tremendous cost. Locked within an iron coffin by the Queen of the Fae, Aelin must draw upon her fiery will as she endures months of torture. Aware that yielding to Maeve will doom those she loves keeps her from breaking, though her resolve begins to unravel with each passing day…
With Aelin captured, Aedion and Lysandra remain the last line of defense to protect Terrasen from utter destruction. Yet they soon realize that the many allies they’ve gathered to battle Erawan’s hordes might not be enough to save them. Scattered across the continent and racing against time, Chaol, Manon, and Dorian are forced to forge their own paths to meet their fates. Hanging in the balance is any hope of salvation―and a better world.
And across the sea, his companions unwavering beside him, Rowan hunts to find his captured wife and queen―before she is lost to him forever.
As the threads of fate weave together at last, all must fight, if they are to have a chance at a future. Some bonds will grow even deeper, while others will be severed forever in the explosive final chapter of the Throne of Glass series.
With Aelin captured, Aedion and Lysandra remain the last line of defense to protect Terrasen from utter destruction. Yet they soon realize that the many allies they’ve gathered to battle Erawan’s hordes might not be enough to save them. Scattered across the continent and racing against time, Chaol, Manon, and Dorian are forced to forge their own paths to meet their fates. Hanging in the balance is any hope of salvation―and a better world.
And across the sea, his companions unwavering beside him, Rowan hunts to find his captured wife and queen―before she is lost to him forever.
As the threads of fate weave together at last, all must fight, if they are to have a chance at a future. Some bonds will grow even deeper, while others will be severed forever in the explosive final chapter of the Throne of Glass series.
Some scenes contain sexual and violent contents that may offend sensibilities of readers.
Plot:
The events of this book occurs after Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn.
Kingdom of Ash is divided into two parts and each one of our heroes are on their own quest.
Rowan, Elide, Lorcan and Gavriel are still looking for Aelin who has been kidnapped and is being tortured by Maeve.
Aelin and Fenrys are trying their best to survive what Maeve has planned for them.
Lysandra and Aedion are trying to keep the illusion that Aelin is still among them while leading their army.
Dorian and Manon are trying to unite the witches and make Manon their rightful queen so they can follow them into the upcoming battle.
Opinion:
/!\ This section may contain spoilers /!\
Oh my! I was kind of preparing myself for this one. I knew it would be emotionally intense. And yet, I was not prepared enough. I am not even sure to know where to start. This book was long, I am not going to lie. However I read it in barely three days because I couldn't put it down. Be ready for some actions with battles on battles on battles! (alright, I have to admit that sometimes it was a bit long to read but anyway) Such an emotional rollercoaster, honestly! So many things happening with so many different characters and yet, it’s all linked.
Let's start with Aelin because obviously everyone wants to know what happened to her after the awful ending of Empire of Storms. Aelin has been tortured for months at the hands of Maeve and Cairn. The torture is not only physical but also psychological. When Sarah J. Maas describes the tortures Aelin went through, it is most definitely hard to read about it. I would advise against reading this book for people who are a bit sensitive to "torture scenes". I could just feel Aelin's helplessness. She could not do anything against what was done to her. It just feels like a never-ending nightmare. Fenrys also lives his own nightmare. I just felt so bad for the two of them.
Even though we know that Aelin will be released, the wait is so painful and the moment she was released, she looked so broken. I just couldn't take it. I mean, we all know Aelin and how strong and full of sass she is. And yet, when she was running away and begging for her friends to let her out of this iron mask, she completely broke and I just broke with her too.
Rowan wants what is best for Aelin but he struggles to know how to be close to her again. She is a whole new person with everything that happened to her and she is scared of what everyone expects her to be. But Rowan was just perfection even though I felt like he was a bit erased in this book.
Even though we know that Aelin will be released, the wait is so painful and the moment she was released, she looked so broken. I just couldn't take it. I mean, we all know Aelin and how strong and full of sass she is. And yet, when she was running away and begging for her friends to let her out of this iron mask, she completely broke and I just broke with her too.
Rowan wants what is best for Aelin but he struggles to know how to be close to her again. She is a whole new person with everything that happened to her and she is scared of what everyone expects her to be. But Rowan was just perfection even though I felt like he was a bit erased in this book.
I really liked how Sarah J. Maas grew Dorian's character throughout this story. His new found abilities made him quite interesting. I have to admit that he gave me a few scares here and there. She gave him a true depth. Unfortunately he also becomes mean and cold, which implies that his romance with Manon was a bit weird. I was rooting for them at the beginning but then it just turned cold. She gave him everything and he just turned it down. He used her and her body. Yes, it was interesting when he found this "dark side" of his and Manon was kind of helping him with it, kind of like with a protégé but still, it doesn't mean he has to be a d*ck all the time.
I felt for Manon throughout this book. I was not a huge fan of hers when she was first introduced in the Throne of Glass series. And yet, I learned to love her and her Thirteen. Unfortunately this story doesn't end well for everyone. The Thirteen's deaths affected me so much. I felt so bad. Even worse than bad. I cried so much during this scene, I felt like I was never going to get through it. I had to put the book down to take a break.
Many of the secondary characters became much more important than I would've thought at the beginning, especially Yrene (you'll understand once you read the book). I liked that the end was not just about Aelin because it would have been way too predictable. Chaol and Yrene were really cute together. It seemed like they drew their strengths from one another.
I liked that Elide was a strong female character. However the way she handled things with Lorcan were a bit... too much. I mean, I totally understand that she was pissed off by his actions at the beginning. But even Aelin forgave him and Elide was not capable to do so. Worst, she kicked him down when he was already more down than down. He tried his best to make up for what he'd done (kind of like Chaol in Tower of Dawn). I really discovered a new face of Lorcan and I really fell for him. He tried his best through his actions to make things right. He offered his support and took an oath to Aelin. I almost liked him... alright, I think I actually really liked him in this book.
Now let's talk about Aedion and Lysandra. I am not fully sure on what to say about the two of them. Aedion was such an as*hol*. Honestly he was abusive to Lysandra to the point he kicked her out when it was freezing cold, snowing and she was naked. Who on Earth does that?! I understand that he is pissed off at Aelin's plans but why would he take his frustration out on Lysandra who is only playing the part that has been asked of her? I would've never, ever forgiven him, no matter if we died tomorrow. I wanted to punch him so hard! Lysandra could do better and she should have had better. She shouldn't have ended with him. I hate that his character ended up being abusive. In the first books, he reminded me of a little boy who only wanted his cousin back. Now, I'm ashamed for him.
The only thing I felt for for Aedion was how short his reunion with his father was. I was so frustrated for him. We'd been waiting for this reunion for ages and I was so disappointed that it ended so suddenly with Gavriel's death. Honestly, what was that?!
I was so happy to see more of Nesryn and Sartaq. I just loved them. I basically just love the whole Sartaq's second family. The ruks sounded so interesting. I felt like they were an equivalent to the Thirteen wyverns.
In a really twisted way, I could admire Maeve. I said in a (really) twisted way. She is a really strong female character and she is ambitious.
This book was mostly psychological. Sarah J. Maas really focused on how the characters felt, all their hopelessness. Hopelessness is truly the main motto here. It is a really, really dark book, which is expected considering how Empire of Storms ended. You can feel the despair of every character throughout the final battle. They've been dragged from battles to battles and they are just over-exhausted.
Anyway, yes, this book is really long. No, it is not the best book. Yes, some scenes could have been better. But this book is the end of the Throne of Glass series and I will dearly miss all the characters. This book made me cry so much... to the point I got a headache. I cried for all my beloved fallen characters but also for the end of this amazing series. How I’m going to miss it!
This book was mostly psychological. Sarah J. Maas really focused on how the characters felt, all their hopelessness. Hopelessness is truly the main motto here. It is a really, really dark book, which is expected considering how Empire of Storms ended. You can feel the despair of every character throughout the final battle. They've been dragged from battles to battles and they are just over-exhausted.
Anyway, yes, this book is really long. No, it is not the best book. Yes, some scenes could have been better. But this book is the end of the Throne of Glass series and I will dearly miss all the characters. This book made me cry so much... to the point I got a headache. I cried for all my beloved fallen characters but also for the end of this amazing series. How I’m going to miss it!
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